Takeru Kobayashi didn't compete in today's Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, but he showed up at Coney Island anyway and got himself arrested. We were there and got some video.

This was shot by Animal New York's Bucky Turco, my companion at the hot-dog-eating contest. After the competition, Kobayashi rushed the stage and then, moments later, got escorted away by the NYPD, right past Bucky.

It's still not clear what Kobayashi was up to. On Monday, word broke that he would not be participating in this year's contest. But there he was today, making his way through the crowd on the shoulders of another man and wearing a "Free Kobi" shirt. Kobayashi raised his arms into the air, possibly to raise awareness of roof-raising. He disappeared back into the crowd shortly thereafter.

Apparently, there is some contract hold-up and he's not scheduled to compete at this point.…
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After the contest, Kobayashi attempted to climb a back staircase to the stage but was stopped by Nathan's security and eventually by NYPD officers. He then jumped over a barricade and onto the stage. After more evasive maneuvers, he was caught by one of the police officers but apparently resisted arrest.

Of note: I saw a woman near the stage wearing an identical "Free Kobi" t-shirt. My guess is her role was to distract security as Kobayashi slipped past them. It's like Ocean's Eleven, except with competitive sausage eaters.